Information Services Newsletter
Designing Effective Presentations

Presentation slideshows (usually Powerpoint) are quick and easy to produce, even for those with little design and computer skills... but not so easy to do well! A successful presentation presents information clearly, simply and consistently.

Good Practice
The same colours and fonts should be used throughout the presentation. Graphic images should have the same overall style. Slides should never be used as lecture notes. Restrict slides to 5 lines of text and use words and phrases to emphasise points

Templates
The template design (applied to every slide) will keep the presentation consistent. Many templates have distracting
backgrounds and poor colour combinations. Create your own templates if possible or use the University’s own Powerpoint template, available at:

http://www.ulster.ac.uk/publicaffairs/templates/

For projection purposes, select a light text on a dark background.

Fonts
Use a standard font (e.g. Helvetica or Arial), with font sizes of around 40 points for headings and 28 points for body text.  Never use more than two font families within a presentation and avoid fancy scripting fonts that are difficult to read. To emphasis a heading or point, use Bold. DO NOT USE CAPITALS!  IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO READ!

Graphics
Using clip-art indicates a lack of creativity. Be original and use your own scans or screen captures. A graphic image will enhance the message (but limit these to one per slide).

Slide Transitions and Sound Effects
Excessive use of transitions and sound effects can be distracting and cause a presentation to become sluggish on older computers. Focus on the message not the technology!

Sharon Malcolm